Abstract: All-sky cameras have proven to be powerful tools to continuously monitoring the sky in a wide range of fields in both Astrophysics and Meteorology. In this work, we have developed a complete software pipeline to analyze the night CCD images obtained with one of such systems. This let us to study typical parameters used in Astrophysics to characterize the night sky quality, such as the Sky Brightness, the Cloud Coverage and the Atmospheric Extinction, how they evolve over the time and their variability. Using our software, we analyzed a large set of data from AstMon-OT all-sky camera at Teide Observatory. Results from this work have been applied in the support to the spanish CTA site proposal at IzaÃ±a, Tenerife and are being discussed within the CTA consortium. A comparison with data from other devices that have been used in site characterization such as the IAC80 telescope is also presented. This comparison is used to validate the results of the analysis of all-sky images. Finally, we test our software with AstMon-UCM and DSLR cameras. Some general recommendations for the use of DSLR cameras are provided.

Abstract: Results of the first comprehensive light pollution survey in Hong Kong are presented. The night-sky brightness was measured and monitored around the city using a portable light-sensing device called the Sky Quality Meter over a 15-month period beginning in March 2008. A total of 1,957 data sets were taken at 199 distinct locations, including urban and rural sites covering all 18 Administrative Districts of Hong Kong. The survey shows that the environmental light pollution problem in Hong Kong is severe-the urban night skies (sky brightness at 15.0 mag arcsec(- 2)) are on average ~ 100 times brighter than at the darkest rural sites (20.1 mag arcsec(- 2)), indicating that the high lighting densities in the densely populated residential and commercial areas lead to light pollution. In the worst polluted urban location studied, the night-sky at 13.2 mag arcsec(- 2) can be over 500 times brighter than the darkest sites in Hong Kong. The observed night-sky brightness is found to be affected by human factors such as land utilization and population density of the observation sites, together with meteorological and/or environmental factors. Moreover, earlier night skies (at 9:30 p.m. local time) are generally brighter than later time (at 11:30 p.m.), which can be attributed to some public and commercial lightings being turned off later at night. On the other hand, no concrete relationship between the observed sky brightness and air pollutant concentrations could be established with the limited survey sampling. Results from this survey will serve as an important database for the public to assess whether new rules and regulations are necessary to control the use of outdoor lightings in Hong Kong.

Abstract: Nesting sea turtles appear to avoid brightly lit beaches and often turn back to sea prematurely when exposed to artificial light. Observations and experiments have noted that nesting turtles prefer darker areas where buildings and high dunes act as light barriers. As a result, sea turtles often nest on darker beaches, creating spatial concentrations of nests. Artificial nighttime light, or light pollution, has been quantified using a variety of methods. However, it has proven challenging to make accurate measurements of ambient light at fine scales and on smaller nesting beaches. Additionally, light has traditionally been measured from stationary tripods perpendicular to beach vegetation, disregarding the point of view of a nesting sea turtle. In the present study, nighttime ambient light conditions were assessed on three beaches in central North Carolina: a developed coastline of a barrier island, a nearby State Park on the same barrier island comprised of protected and undeveloped land, and a completely uninhabited wilderness on an adjacent barrier island in the Cape Lookout National Seashore. Using an autonomous terrestrial rover, high resolution light measurements (mag/arcsec2) were collected every minute with two ambient light sensors along transects on each beach. Spatial comparisons between ambient light and nesting density at and between these locations reveal that highest densities of nests occur in regions with lowest light levels, supporting the hypothesis that light pollution from coastal development may influence turtle nesting distribution. These results can be used to support ongoing management strategies to mitigate this pressing conservation issue.

Abstract: Intelligent lamp control system has been widely studied all over the world because of its energy saving and social effect. In this paper, a new intelligent lamp control method based on charge induction for moving target is proposed. The detection model is established with the surface charge induction and verified by a luggage detection experiment. The intelligent lamp control system using the detection method is carried out. The performance of the system demonstrates that the proposed method can detect the moving target at any orientation whatever with or without occlusion and the detection distance can reach more than 3 m for the pedestrian.